Septemvri-Dobrinishte narrow gauge line
Encyclopedia
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0.0 Septemvri Septemvri Septemvri is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, located at the western end of the Upper Thracian Lowland, away to the west from the city of Pazardzhik. It is the administrative centre of homonymous Septemvri Municipality... |
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4.0 Pamporovo |
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6.0 Varvara |
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10.0 Marko Nikolov |
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14.0 Tsepina Tsepina Tsepina was a castle and town in the western Rhodope mountains, southern Bulgaria, now in ruins. It is located at 6 km from the Dorkovo village in the north-eastern part of the Chepinska valley.... |
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21.0 Dolene |
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32.0 Kostandovo Kostandovo Kostandovo is a small town in the Pazardzhik Province, southern Bulgaria. As of 2010 it has 4 342 inhabitants. It gained its town status in 2005. It is located in the Rhodope Mountains close to the Batak Dam and the town of Rakitovo.... |
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38.8 Velingrad Velingrad Velingrad is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, located at the western end of Chepino Valley, part of the Rhodope Mountains. It is the administrative center of the homonymous Velingrad Municipality and one of the most popular Bulgarian balneological resorts... |
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41.7 Velingrad South |
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50.0 Ostrets |
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55.0 Tsvetino |
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59.0 Sveta Petka |
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69.0 Avramovo Avramovo, Blagoevgrad Province Avramovo, Blagoevgrad Province is a village in the municipality of Yakoruda, in Blagoevgrad Province, in southwestern Bulgaria.... |
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74.0 Smolevo Smolevo Smolevo is a village in the municipality of Yakoruda, in Blagoevgrad Province, in southwestern Bulgaria.-References:... |
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80.0 Cherna Mesta Cherna Mesta (village) Cherna Mesta is a village in the municipality of Yakoruda, in Blagoevgrad Province, in southwestern Bulgaria.-References:... |
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86.0 Yakoruda Yakoruda Yakoruda is a Bulgarian town located in the southwestern part of the country. A part of the Blagoevgrad Province, it is the seat of the municipality which is the north-easternmost in the province. The town lies in the Rhodope Mountains, along the Mesta River, 26 km west of the town of Velingrad... |
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95.0 Yurukovo Yurukovo Yurukovo is a village in the municipality of Yakoruda, in Blagoevgrad Province, in southwestern Bulgaria.-References:... |
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97.0 Dagonovo Dagonovo Dagonovo is a village in the municipality of Belitsa, in Blagoevgrad Province, Bulgaria. It is located approximately 8 kilometers east from Belitsa and 85 kilometers southeast from Sofia on the eastern bank of Mesta river... |
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101.0 Belitsa Belitsa Belitsa is a town in southwestern Bulgaria, located in the Belitsa Municipality of the Blagoevgrad oblast .-External links:* *... |
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105.0 General Kovachev |
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110.0 Guliyna Banya |
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115.0 Razlog Razlog Razlog is a town and ski resort in Razlog Municipality, Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria. It is situated in the Razlog Valley and was first mentioned during the reign of Byzantine emperor Basil II.... |
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119.0 Bansko Bansko Bansko is a town and a popular ski resort in southwestern Bulgaria, located at the foot of the Pirin Mountains at an elevation of 925 m above sea level.... |
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125.0 Dobrinishte Dobrinishte Dobrinishte is a small town and ski resort in the Blagoevgrad Province, Bansko Municipality, southwestern Bulgaria. it has 2973 inhabitants. It is located 6 km east of Bansko, a famous winter resort. It has an altitude of 850 m and is surrounded by the Rila, Pirin, and Rhodope mountains... |
The Septemvri–Dobrinishte narrow gauge line is the only operating narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
(gauge 760 mm) line in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. It is operated by the Bulgarian State Railways
Bulgarian State Railways
The Bulgarian State Railways are Bulgaria's state railway company and the largest railway carrier in the country, established as an entity in 1885. The company's headquarters are located in the capital Sofia. Since the 1990s the BDZ has met serious competition from automotive transport...
(BDZ). The line is actively used with nine trains runnng per day. The journey takes over four hours. The current plan can be found on the website of Bulgarian State Railways Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ).
The route leads from Septemvri
Septemvri
Septemvri is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, located at the western end of the Upper Thracian Lowland, away to the west from the city of Pazardzhik. It is the administrative centre of homonymous Septemvri Municipality...
(the main road Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
- Plovdiv
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
) to Dobrinishte
Dobrinishte
Dobrinishte is a small town and ski resort in the Blagoevgrad Province, Bansko Municipality, southwestern Bulgaria. it has 2973 inhabitants. It is located 6 km east of Bansko, a famous winter resort. It has an altitude of 850 m and is surrounded by the Rila, Pirin, and Rhodope mountains...
over Velingrad
Velingrad
Velingrad is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, located at the western end of Chepino Valley, part of the Rhodope Mountains. It is the administrative center of the homonymous Velingrad Municipality and one of the most popular Bulgarian balneological resorts...
, Yakoruda
Yakoruda
Yakoruda is a Bulgarian town located in the southwestern part of the country. A part of the Blagoevgrad Province, it is the seat of the municipality which is the north-easternmost in the province. The town lies in the Rhodope Mountains, along the Mesta River, 26 km west of the town of Velingrad...
, Razlog
Razlog
Razlog is a town and ski resort in Razlog Municipality, Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria. It is situated in the Razlog Valley and was first mentioned during the reign of Byzantine emperor Basil II....
and Bansko
Bansko
Bansko is a town and a popular ski resort in southwestern Bulgaria, located at the foot of the Pirin Mountains at an elevation of 925 m above sea level....
, linking the western part of the Upper Thracian Plain
Upper Thracian Plain
The Upper Thracian Plain constitutes the northern part of the historical region of Thrace. It is located in southern Bulgaria, between the Sredna Gora mountains to the north and west; the Rhodopes, Sakar and Strandzha to the south; and the Black Sea to the east. A fertile agricultural region, the...
with the Western Rhodopes, Rila
Rila
Rila is a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria and the highest mountain range of Bulgaria and the Balkans, with its highest peak being Musala at 2,925 m...
and Pirin
Pirin
The Pirin Mountains are a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with Vihren the highest peak, situated at . The range extends about 40 km northwest-southeast, and about 25 km wide. Most of the range is protected in the Pirin National Park...
mountains. Due to the characteristics of the route through the mountains, the narrow gauge line Septemvri-Dobrinishte is also known as the Alpine railway in the Balkans. Avramovo station, situated at an altitude of 1267 meters, is the highest station in the Balkans.
The railway line was built in several stages between 1921 and 1945. The total length is 125 km. The part of the route between Pazardzhik
Pazardzhik
Pazardzhik is a city situated along the banks of the Maritsa river, Southern Bulgaria. It is the capital of Pazardzhik Province and centre for the homonymous Pazardzhik Municipality...
and Varvara, which was closed in 2002, is 16.6 km long.
Further reading
- Paul Engelbert: Schmalspurig durch Bulgarien, Verlag Stenvalls, Malmö 2002, ISBN 91-7266-155-0
- Rudolf Heym: 125 Kilometer auf schmaler Spur, Lok-Magazin 4/2008, ISSN 0458-1822